Well-being is a complex topic. But for a while now, I’ve thought our well-being is basically “how much energy you have”.
When times are good, I feel great and energetic. But when times haven’t been so good (like when I was depressed), I felt like my battery for life was empty and I’d lost hope it would ever recharge.
And while this might be an overly simple way of looking at well-being, what impacts how much energy you have is complex and diverse.
The reason why I’m writing about this is that I have some work to do helping organisations that want to improve their staff’s well-being, and I want to get the leaders to look at well-being in terms of how much energy their staff have.
Are they well rested and fuelled properly for their day? Are they motivated by what they’re trying to achieve? Do they have the skills and belief in their own ability they can get the job done? And are they inspired by the people they work with?
And if the answer is yes to all those questions, but they still feel flat, what’s draining them?
Below is my best effort to explain how energy is vital to performance. I hope that by simplifying a complex topic, I can help leaders make some sense of why burnout is on the rise, and help more people thrive at work.
“Energy” is vital for achieving high performance at work. It comprises of physical energy, which is derived from food and glucose, and is necessary to maintain our physical stamina. As is neurochemicals, such as dopamine, which motivate us to complete tasks.
Additionally, the amount and quality of sleep we get can significantly impact our energy levels. Lack of sleep can lead to fatigue, reduced focus and cognitive abilities, and decreased productivity. Therefore, it's essential to prioritise getting enough high-quality sleep to maximise our energy levels.
Furthermore, oxytocin, a hormone released during social interactions, including positive relationships and community, plays a significant role in our energy levels. Oxytocin promotes positive feelings, trust, and social bonding, which help us to feel energised, motivated to engage with others, and perform better in work and life.
I also need to add how purpose and mission-driven work is vital to how much energy we have, but I need your feedback.
Am I making sense with the above? And if you had to explain what well-being in a simple way and how it’s vital to doing well at work, how would you explain it?
Great question Ben! I think well-being is different to everyone.
To me, it's being content, I'm not at the high end or the low end. I'm in the middle, feeling fresh in the morning and getting through my daily tasks without feeling weighed down by anything.
According to WHO, health is " a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity".
I quote that sticks in my mind is from 10 things I hate about you "so you can be underwhelmed and overwhelmed but can you ever just be whelmed?"
Like happiness I feel well-being is something that will ebb and flow, it's not a consistent steady state despite us striving for it to be. Life throws things at us that bring us down, but what is helpful is having strategies in place to get us through it. It's okay to not be well all the time, awareness and being able to identify it is key to overcoming it I feel.
This is where supportive workplaces come in, a worker says I'm tired but they push through because their boss is enforcing them or because they don't want to be seen as weak and want people to think they have everything together (because we are conditioned to have everything together). In this sense well-being is being able to stop and say I need a day off or do whatever is needed to charge your batteries in a safe and compassionate environment.
(If this makes any sense! haha)